


Like Gatsby, but not at all

by thehimawari (helianthaes)



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: College AU, Comedy, Crack, M/M, One Shot, or at least a pathetic attempt at comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24206761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helianthaes/pseuds/thehimawari
Summary: Kazunari likes throwing house parties at his apartment in hopes that his cute neighbour down the hall will finally notice and come over to talk to him. He does this instead of, you know, just approaching him himself like a normal person.Tsuzuru, the unfortunate neighbour, just wants free food.
Relationships: Minagi Tsuzuru/Miyoshi Kazunari
Comments: 8
Kudos: 92





	Like Gatsby, but not at all

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how my brain came up with this either  
> I don't know why I wrote this either (i.e. please don't take it seriously LOL)  
> But if even one person laughs somewhere, somehow, my job here is done  
> 

Loud pop music was blasting from apartment 202 as Kazunari took another swig of his beer from his spot at the kitchen counter. The guests around him, a slew of close friends and other university acquaintances alike, were enjoying the house party in the cramped space. But Kazunari, the host of it all, had his eyes fixed solely on the front door as if it were going to burst open _any minute now_.

He perked up in his seat, eyes sparkling when the door swung open. But when the next person who stumbled in was yet again not the one he was looking for, the art student immediately deflated against the table, cheek smushing sadly against the wooden surface. A group of four boys standing together in the corner shot each other concerned looks before walking over to him. The one with orange hair, their de facto leader, crossed his arms before he spoke what they were all collectively thinking, “dude… he’s not coming tonight either.”

“I hate to say this, but Tenma’s right. This was a shitty plan to begin with.”

“ _Yuki_ ,” Tenma warned, shooting a glare towards the snarky fashion student. But Yuki merely shrugged with a bored look on his face.

“What? Am I wrong? This is like the tenth party you’ve thrown and nothing?”

“Y-You didn’t have to say it like that…,” the pink-haired boy standing just behind offered timidly.

“Hey, Kazu~ can I have the rest of these triangle chips~?”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead Sumi,” Kazunari finally replied, prying his face off the counter. The blue-haired boy pranced off with a wispy “ _yay~!!_ ” as Kazunari turned to the rest of his friends with a pathetic pout, “and the rest of you guys aren’t helping at all!!”

Tenma threw his hands up in exasperation, “look, if you want your cute neighbour down the hall to notice you so badly then why don’t you… I don’t know, talk to him like a normal person? Ever thought of that?”

But at this, Kazunari’s pout only intensified as he all but threw his arms around his friend’s waist and whined, signaling that maybe he had a drunk a little bit too much in his melancholy, “ _No way!!!_ He’s gotta come to me on his own! If you saw him, you’d understand!!" Yep, someone definitely needed to take that next beer away from him. "He looks _sooo_ cute. But whenever I spot him, he’s always in such a rush! I’m scared if I approach him out of nowhere he’ll just think I’m annoying—or get scared away!! I don’t want to scare him away, _Tenten_!!”

“What is he, a bunny rabbit?” Yuki deadpanned.

“So rowdy house parties are totally going to lure this guy in. _Right,_ ” Tenma echoed, just as flatly.

“ _SHHHHH_ , isn’t this more romantic?!” Kazunari slurred, posing with a goofy grin and a finger to his chin. The chants of “ _chug, chug, chug_ ” from other party goers in the back along with the deafening club music radiating around him did not help the blonde boy’s cause as he explained the machinations of his master plan. “It’s like… like… Gatsby! When Gatsby kept throwing parties across the lake for Daisy to notice and come over! Or something. I don’t know, I’ve never actually read the book. Those two lived happily ever after, right?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never read it either.”

“Yeah, that’s what online summaries are for.”

“H-H-Hold on, let me look the ending up on google.”

“Cool! Thanks, Mukkun!” Kazunari shot the fluffy-haired boy, who was currently fumbling with his phone, some finger guns before he turned back. By now, Misumi had come wandering back with his mouth and arms full of tortilla chips.

“Dude, what the hell?!” Tenma yelled, offended at the sight. But Misumi merely tilted his head in question before holding his arms out in offering, a rain of triangular chips slipping over his sleeves and onto the floor. “Gross, I don’t want any—FRICK, I MEANT USE A BOWL?!”

“G-Gah!! A vacuum!! Someone get a vacuum or—ah, Misumi stop!!!” Muku stuttered in panic, nearly dropping his phone as he dropped down to collect the growing pile of fallen snacks.

But somehow tuning his friends out completely, and ignoring the new mess on his own carpet, Kazunari’s eyebrows knit together in oddly serious concentration, “but this plan is fool proof, I swear. Or maybe I need to change up my tactics…”

The four summer boys stopped to exchange weary looks again and sighed when they realized they were all in it for the long haul. The truth was, as perpetually friendly and outgoing Kazunari tried to portray he was on the outside, he could be awfully genuine and bashful when it really counted. And all of them understood this perfectly well. As dysfunctional as they could be most of the time, this ragtag group were best friends after all. “Sure, Kazunari. We’re always supporting you of course,” Tenma placed an encouraging hand on the party host’s shoulder. But his eyes were tired, so tired from all the damn partying, “but think about what I said, ok? _Please_.”

* * *

“ _Just talk to the guy. I beg of you._ ”

Tenma’s desperate plea rang through Kazunari’s mind as he stood waiting in line at a popular café on campus. He frowned as he fidgeted with his smartphone, clearing his recent notifications before shoving it into the pocket of his black skinny jeans. “Ok well, _maybe_ Tenten has a point… But still, it’s hard to approach him!! I mean we live close, but I’ve barely run into him as it is. And even if I did, what would I talk about? I don’t even know his name…?” Kazunari’s thoughts trailed off as he noticed a bit of a commotion coming from the register. The customer currently being served was struggling a bit as he rifled through his wallet. Even from his place a few spots behind, Kazunari could practically sense the other’s increasing panic every time the machine beeped and declined their card. “Oh yikes,” Kazunari thought, heart going out to them, “such are the woes of a poor college student—HEY WAIT.” Kazunari’s head whipped around to do a double take, black hat nearly flying off as his eyes widened exponentially when he realized he actually recognized that green sweater, that mop of brown hair with the dark roots growing in and the sight of that back that he had seen retreat down the hallway many times before and—oh my god that was his cute neighbour right there!!!

And as if on pure instinct, Kazunari found himself stepping forward, whipping out his own credit card and tapping it against the machine. It beeped in acceptance. The other boy, who Kazunari now realized in delight was slightly taller than him, looked up, baffled. Kazunari grinned as his inner monologue reeled. _Wow even this guy’s confused face is supes cute! Oh my god am I already whipped—_

“Wh-what?” The brown-haired boy stuttered.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on me.” _Holy shit that was smooth_. _Nice one, Kazunari._

“Ah, oh. Oh my god, t-thank you! Thank you! I, uh—I guess I went over budget this month and my paycheck hasn’t come in yet so,” Kazunari could practically feel the hearts growing in his eyes as he took in the sight of the other student fumbling adorably with his words. If he wasn’t sure before, Kazunari was definitely sure now that he was completely and utterly smitten. “I’ll pay you back for sure!”

That snapped the art student back to reality. Still riding the high from his sudden rush of chivalry from god-knows-where, Kazunari coolly waved it off. “It’s fine, just take it.”

“Well thanks!” The boy smiled, picking up his coffee that had already been prepared off the counter, “I can never say no to free food!”

Feeling like his job was done here, Kazunari winked before he simply turned around and made his exit—pushing the glass door open with one hand while looking exactly like a suave, mysterious hero (or at least that’s what he told himself).

Except by the time he was out on the street, Kazunari realized two things:

First, he didn’t even get his own damn coffee.

And second, well fuck. He didn’t even ask for his neighbour’s name.

But at least that did give him a new idea…

* * *

“This is the saddest party I’ve ever seen.” Tenma sighed, making himself comfortable on the couch as the other four from the close-knit group lazed around in Kazunari’s otherwise empty apartment. It seemed everyone else in the entire world was all partied out. But Kazunari’s four best friends still swung by just to humour him. Loud techno music was still blasting from the speakers though, for _effect_. “Also, this is never going to work.”

“Yeah, what kind of dumbass would fall for _that_?”

“Hey, don’t insult my future boyfriend, Yukki!”

“I’d follow any sign if it said free triangles~!!”

“Ok, that answers my question.”

“Guys, come on!! No fighting!!!”

But unbeknownst to the five squabbling boys inside, outside everything was falling into place all according to Kazunari’s new ingenious plan.

* * *

Tsuzuru trudged up the stairs, every step draining his energy more and more as he rubbed his bleary eyes. Back-to-back work shifts had drained him completely to the point he wasn’t sure he was going to make it back to his own apartment before passing out in the hallway or something. It didn’t help his manager didn’t even let him have his lunch break today so the overworked boy seriously felt lightheaded to the point of delirium.

Just as his stomach growled again, he noticed a piece of paper taped to the wall.

**FREE FOOD**

“Is this a sign... from God…?” Tsuzuru whispered. His gaze then fell to the floor where he also found a trail of arrows taped down onto the carpet leading to what could only be the promised land.

Before he knew it, the hungry student’s body was already stumbling its way down towards the pointed direction.

* * *

A few solid knocks, followed by the unlocked door slowly swinging open on its own made the five boys inside the apartment freeze as they all looked up from their spots. They were all currently clustered together, trying to see how many triangles Misumi could balance on his face.

The number was 9.

Actually, 8 now that one fell as he turned his head.

“Ummmm, I’m just gonna go…”

“NO, WAIT!!” Kazunari leapt desperately with one hand out. And as the party host scrambled his way up to the door, Tsuzuru’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened in recognition.

“Hey, wait a minute. You’re that cute guy from the café!” Kazunari’s heart soared at being remembered as cute. But that elation was short lived as the ridiculous situation Tsuzuru walked in on sobered him up quickly. It took a minute, but his brain also managed to connect the dots, “wait a minute—so _you’re_ that neighbour who’s been throwing these obnoxious parties ever since the semester started?!”

Dead silence fell upon the space. Well except for the sick beats playing in the background, which Muku quickly turned off. The four other boys bowed their heads as they filed out the apartment one by one, whispering a consecutive line of “good luck”, “good luck”, “good luck”, “triangle!” as they left Kazunari alone to climb out of the mess he had started.

When it was just the two building residents standing before one another, the awkward silence seemed to stretch on forever before Kazunari managed to speak up to explain himself. “Y-Yeah, so like, about that… I….” But then, throwing all caution to the wind, he decided, screw it! _Yolo_ , if you will. A chance like this was never going to just fall at his feet again! If there was any time to be honest, it was now. “The truth is I bumped into you in the hallway once and I thought you were super cute and I wanted you to notice me so I thought this would work and ahaha… I’m sorry if it had the opposite effect... but I really like you and that's the truth...”

Tsuzuru wanted to yell, he really did, for all the sleep he had lost thanks to this neighbour and how many times he had honestly contemplated calling the cops to issue a noise complaint (but then realized that probably would’ve been more troublesome in the end). But the longer he stared at his adorable savior, who really did save him a few days ago—shining green eyes pleading and bashful as he wriggled nervously with his fingers—Tsuzuru found himself sighing in defeat.

“You know, if you wanted my attention you could’ve just… talked to me? What is this, The Great Gatsby?”

Kazunari looked up and smacked his hands together, “oh you’ve read it?!”

“I mean yeah, I’m a literature major so it’s kind of mandatory.”

“Oh awesome!!! So my plan worked! Just like how the guy got the girl in the end, right?!”

“Uhhhh,” Tsuzuru eyed the other, understanding immediately who had skipped English class back in the day, “yeah… sure… but not at all.” And then he had the sudden urge to laugh despite everything, “you know what, how about I explain the ending to you over coffee? I still owe you anyways.”

“Oh no, I told you that was—” Tsuzuru shot a knowing look and Kazunari promptly clamped his mouth shut. Butterflies fluttered when it clicked, “—on second thought I could really go for a latte! And I’d love to hear all about it.”

Tsuzuru grinned, running a hand through his hair, “great, then it’s a date. I don’t think I have any work shifts this weekend.”

“Sounds good!”

The two bid each other a good night before Tsuzuru turned to leave. But he only got two steps away before he spun around again, hand wrapping back around the doorframe as he peeked his head back in. Kazunari froze right as he was about to close the door for the night. “Wait, there's one last thing I have to know.”

“Anything.”

“Is there actually free food?”

Kazunari blinked, before bursting out laughing. He nodded and gestured for the other to enter, “yes, yes! Eat as many snacks as you’d like. They’re all triangle-shaped though if that’s ok.”

“That's... a choice. But hey, free food is free food.”

And that was how the new couple’s first date happened sooner than planned as Tsuzuru ended up staying the whole night; the pair's excited chitchat went on and on as the two finally got to properly know each other.

You know.

Like Gatsby.

But not at all.

**Author's Note:**

> I've never actually read the book either LOL  
> But I had fun, and I hope you did too  
> Thanks for reading!!


End file.
